During the winter months people have one of two problems; either the air in their home is too dry and it’s causing problems, or the air in their home is too moist, and is causing mold to grow. During the summer months you have problems with excessive mold and mildew growth because of a higher relative humidity. It’s these very molds and mildew that’s causing your house to smell so dank and musty.

Mildew is basically an overgrowth of mold and fungus in areas with high moisture levels and temperatures, usually bathrooms, basements, steam rooms and so on. Mildew usually appears as a thin but wide-spread layer of various colors (white, blue-green, brown, black), smells musty or sour, and can grow pretty much everywhere. Mildew and mold thrive on organic materials (wood, leather, cloth and so forth) and can be very destructive (and a health hazard) if left to grow for too long.

Successfully getting rid of mold and mildew growth is part prevention and part treatment. The suggestions below offer practical steps you can take to get rid of mold and mildew growth without using a lot of chemical cleaners, but keep in mind that in a lot of cases the most effective (or at least immediate) treatment for mold and mildew will involve commercial chemical cleaners, which are covered in the product section below.

Musty Smell Removal

* If it’s hot and humid out, use an air conditioner to help get rid of mold. Mold loves the humidity; in fact, it’s practically necessary in order for mold to grow. Some people say around 65-70% relative humidity is necessary for mold to grow.

So, you’re going to have to put that air conditioner to good use because it’ll control the humidity in your home during the summer months. You’ll want to buy a hygrometer (or any other way to measure relative humidity), and keep your home between 30%-50% relative humidity, or RH.

* Clean regularly to prevent and get rid of mold and mildew growth. Scrub shower walls and bath tubs on a regular basis, and use a shower spray after each shower or bath as a preventative measure.

Clean oft-ignored and mildew-prone areas like the floor around and underneath a tub, the grouted areas between wall and floor tiles, walls behind washing machines and the plumbing beneath sinks.

* Mold that hides in other places around your home can be removed just as easily as the mold in your bathroom. Your kitchen, for example, is the perfect place for mold to grow because the food remnants, the dark space in cupboards and the ample amount of moisture are what mold thrives on.

If you have a dish drainer drying device, spray that down with vinegar every night, as well as your cutting boards and anything else that comes into contact with food on a regular basis.

* Because of your carpet’s natural tendency to soak up dirt and moisture, carpeting poses the greatest challenge when getting rid of mold.

You have a couple of choices here; you can either take your carpeting out and replace it with hardwood flooring (which can kill a number of birds with one stone in terms of household problems), or you can dust your carpet with baking soda on a regular basis, letting it sit for several hours before vacuuming it up.

* On that note, keep everything as a dry as possible, since mold and mildew thrives on moisture. Use a sponge or squeegee to remove excess moisture from areas like shower walls and shower curtains. Avoid leaving damp laundry in a pile or in contact with other surfaces. Hang bath towels on individual hooks. Don’t put dishes away wet. Clean up any spilled or pooling water right away.

* If it’s cold outside, you’ll want to use a dehumidifier to control mold growth in the home instead of an air conditioner. Well, not everyone has a dehumidifier; honestly, you don’t need one if you have hardwood floors and a, say, Minnesota winter.

But if you need a dehumidifier, you may want to splurge and get one that measures relative humidity, to keep your home at an RH that is both comfortable and prohibitive to mold growth. 30%-50%, remember?

* An ozone generator will, apparently, get rid of any odor you can think of… whether it’s smoky or musty, it doesn’t matter… if it’s left on long enough in a closed house/apartment. The specifics of this procedure are a bit unclear, but if you’re getting desperate it might be worth a shot.

But you will have to take full responsibility for what this might do to your home or your health; just be sure to air out the home thoroughly after doing this because ozone is bad for your lungs.

* Many strong cleaning solutions and treatments will contain diluted chemicals like chlorine, bleach and sodium hypochlorite that will kill the mold fungi that cause mildew. While these products will be highly effective when getting rid of mold and mildew, the chemical they contain can be toxic and dangerous to you and others. Chemical cleaners can also cause damage to sensitive organic surfaces such as fabric, leather, some paints and wood.

Luckily, you can find natural alternatives that will still fight mildew and mold. Look for brands like Seventh Generation and Ecover that use plant-based, biodegradable, environmentally friendly products that are just as effective as chemical cleaners.

Improving Air Quality to Get Rid of Musty Smell

People will tell you that the best way to get rid of mold is to use an ionizing air purifier to help pull the pollutants and mold spores out of the air. Well, they’re half-right. An air purifier isn’t a bad idea for preventing mold growth, but those ionized air filters can cause health problems if they’re not constructed properly.

Sometimes if an ionizing air filter isn’t built right, it will spit out ozone which, scientists will tell you, is good for the atmosphere and bad for your lungs (just like an ozone generator, except air purifiers aren’t supposed to spit out ozone). Serious complications can arise if you’re using the wrong air purifier. Choose wisely and make sure you buy from a reputable company.

Musty Smell Removing Products

Everyday Household Products:

* Baking soda effectively eliminates mildew odor. You can sprinkle baking soda on carpets before vacuuming or mix with water and salt to create a paste to scrub on tiles and other surfaces or place an open box to absorb odors from possibly stinky areas (like a fridge or under the car seat).

* Household items like vinegar and lemon juice are effective natural cleansers. Use alone, or mix with water and soap to create a natural cleaning solution for mold and mildew. Because vinegar and lemon juice are/contains acids that cuts through organic matter, they’re a great way to clean those surfaces that aren’t made of fabric and perhaps some that are fabric.

Commercial Products:

* Ecover Surface and Glass Cleaner uses plant-based alcohols to do its dirty work on mold, mildew and soap scum. It may not be labeled as a bathroom cleaner specifically, but this stuff really will do the trick and may even substitute one of those big brand shower sprays.

The Ecover line of cleaning products is extensive; their Lemon and Aloe Vera Dish Washing Liquid is also of note. A lot of their products use natural acids, like citrus.

* Seventh Generation Bathroom Cleaner doesn’t use acid to kill mold and remove soap scum. Instead, it uses hydrogen peroxide and citrus oils to help kill germs and mold, pick up soap scum and other bathroom stains.

This isn’t really a substitute for a shower spray treatment, but it’s certainly strong enough to solve your mold problems on random bits of tile, floor boarding, linoleum and some such.

* Mr. Muscle Bathroom & Toilet Cleaner lives up to its name and reputation as a great toilet smell remover and cleaning agent. It’s specially formulated to remove soap scum and tackle bathroom grime fast and effectively.

This product has an anti-bacterial action and also helps prevent lime scale, making the task of cleaning the bathroom quick and effective. It can be safely be used on enamel, plastic and porcelain baths and sinks.

Causes and Prevention of Mold and Mildew

Mildew and mold grow and thrive in warm, damp places. The optimal growth range for mold and mildew is a temperature of 77°F to 88°F (20°C to 30°C) and a 70 to 93 percent range of humidity. Thus, these environmental factors combined with a lack of regular or thorough cleaning will result in the growth and overgrowth of destructive, unhealthy mold and mildew.

To prevent mold and mildew growth, be aware of rooms and areas around your home that will be susceptible to mold and mildew and practice a regular cleaning regimen to prevent mold and mildew growth. If possible, take steps to reduce the heat and humidity conducive to mold and mildew growth.